(no subject)
The last one was very short, but this one sort of makes up for it.
Title: Daughter of Adam, Part 25
Author: carolhelga
Claim: Duncan
Prompt: Lair
Rating/Warnings: PG (mild language)
Word count: 1359
Disclaimer: I do not own the Highlander universe, although I do own Brunhilde. This writing is all in good fun; I make no profit from it.
Summary: In which we find the rogue Watchers' stronghold, and how our Immortals prepare.
Duncan awoke to the smell of coffee and bacon, and the sound of muted voices from nearby. He blinked, momentarily disoriented, then sat up quickly. He had slept in his clothes, he noticed. He made his way out into the kitchen area, eager to know what had happened after he finally had fallen asleep.
Brunhilde stood over the stove, forking bacon onto a platter. Methos had the refrigerator door open and was inspecting the contents. Amanda sat at the table in intense conversation with Nick Wolfe. Even Joe Dawson was there, tapping something into a laptop computer on the table in front of him. Duncan cleared his throat, and all five looked his way.
"Good, you're up." Hilda smiled at him over her shoulder, negating any need whatsoever for a stimulant. "Coffee?"
"No thanks." He snagged a chair and pulled it around so he could sit near Joe. "I'll have some food, though. You could have woken me up sooner."
"Nothing much to report. Nick only just got back about ten minutes ago." Amanda took a sip of orange juice from the glass in front of her.
Methos pulled out a loaf of bread from the fridge, and as he took out some slices for toast he said, "We'd have gotten you up once the food was ready, Highlander." As he passed behind Brunhilde he dropped a kiss on her neck, just as if they were an old married couple. "Brunhilde was the only one up more than an hour ago."
"Except Nick," added Joe. "He's got something for us, too. I'm just now adding it to the information we have on these people."
"I'm all ears."
"They have a house just outside the city limits north of town," Wolfe said. "Big one, like a mansion almost. Twenty acres, if I'm any judge, and fenced all around. Damn thing looks like one of those old plantation houses out of Gone with the Wind. Pillars and all." Brunhilde set a plate of bacon down on the table and he automatically smiled thanks and grabbed about five strips. "Guards all around, too. Six patrols, evenly set apart, with a bit of overlap on their rounds. One guard at the gate who stays stationary."
"Vegetation?" asked Methos.
"Oak, walnut, some poplars around the house and the fence, and hedges around some sort of garden. Looked like one of those English garden mazes, maybe. Lots of grass. The driveway is macadam and edged with more of those hedges. It makes a big circle up to the house and back to the gate, only one vehicle wide."
"Sounds like quite a lair," commented Joe.
A bowl of scrambled eggs joined the bacon plate and Hilda sat down to join in the conversation. "Any weapons?"
"Yeah. Each guard I could see had a rifle--standard deer hunter style--and a couple had sidearms, but I didn't see if they all did." Wolfe blinked tiredly. "They've got four dogs, too. Rotweillers."
Methos sat down also, next to Bruhilde, setting a plate of toast near Wolfe. "Eat, man. You've done the most work so far." He watched with keen eyes as Wolfe put eggs, toast, and more bacon on a plate and started in. "Any idea of the number of people there?"
"I have a headcount of the ones I saw. Might be more inside. Hell, you could hide an army in that place."
"How many?" Duncan prodded, even as he, too, filled a plate with food. "Don't try to guess the ones you didn't see. How many did you actually see?"
"Aside from the seven guards and our Mr. Lee, I saw four others. Two were at the door when he went inside, and I saw one in an upstairs window and another in a downstairs window."
"What kind of reception did he get?" Joe wanted to know.
"They patted him down." Nick snorted with some amusement. "Damned if it didn't seem like they were playing at being gangsters. I've seen gang-bangers act more suave. But they were deadly serious with the guards. As I watched, a car drove by and the whole time it was in sight of the house it had three guns trained on it."
"Someone doesn't like company," Duncan said. "Maybe we should call on him."
"Give me till noon, guys," Joe said. "I'll have more then--floor plans and even his security system if I can." He looked around at the Immortals, who all looked determined. "I promise. After noon, he's all yours."
"Fair enough." Duncan nodded. "You called it a lair, Joe. We just might be able to make it a cage."
#
Joe sat back with a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. "Done." Brunhilde, sitting next to him, had watched with fascination as he had sorted through multitudes of data he had found on the web. Now she stood and massaged his neck, relieving the tension of the last two hours. Joe winced at the initial pressure, but slowly relaxed under her ministrations. "Ahhh. Thanks, Hilda."
Duncan, from his seat near the back door, asked, "So what do we have? Is there a chance to stop them?"
"Yeah, there is. It'll be a bit of a challenge, but we can." Joe let his head loll forward as Brunhilde continued her massage. "Remember, though, I don't want the legitimate Watchers harmed."
"If they stay out of the way, they won't be."
Joe cracked open one eye to regard Duncan suspiciously. "Mac…"
"No, Joe. No promises. Every time I promise you something to do with the Watchers, I end up getting killed, and almost lose my head, too." Duncan stood and paced a bit. "You let us deal with the ones at this house we found, and you keep the Watchers away."
"Can you do that, Joe?" Brunhilde asked, as she finished the massage and dropped her hands. "Keep the real Watchers away from this 'lair' as we're calling it?"
"At one time, I could have said yes and that would be it. Now that I'm not in charge any more, I can't make that guarantee." He frowned slightly. "I do have some influence, but not as much as I used to."
"Time to make our plans, then," said Duncan. "We need to act soon."
"I'll get Methos to close for lunch." Brunhilde hustled out into the shop area.
"That leaves me to get Amanda and Wolfe." Duncan looked at Joe. "You'd better see what you can do about keeping your people away as soon as we've got our plans finalized."
Joe just nodded, and Duncan went into the room where Nick Wolfe and Amanda were sleeping, spooned together. Nick stirred first, probably still not used to the buzz of an approaching Immortal. "Wha'?" he said, waking quickly enough. "Oh, it's you." He blinked at Duncan.
"Time to plan. Get her up and both of you into the dining room."
Duncan had to give Wolfe points for his quick grasp of the urgency of the matter. "Two minutes," he promised, shaking Amanda's shoulder.
Duncan nodded and went back to where Joe waited. Brunhilde was back as well, and had provided some beers from Methos' refrigerator. Joe had already started on one. "Where's the old man?"
Brunhilde giggled at Duncan's description of Methos, hiding her smile with one hand. "He's trying to hurry a client out so he can close the shop for 'lunch.'" She handed him one of the beers, then opened one for herself. "It shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
Duncan popped the can open and took a swallow. "Good." He directed a serious glance at her, and leaned closer to whisper. "Is everything all right between you and Methos?"
Brunhilde sobered. Whispering back, she said, "Mostly." She glanced at Joe, who was at least pretending to be busy on his computer. "We still have a few details to iron out."
Amanda entered with Nick. "We're ready," she announced. Seeing the beers, she took two, giving one to Nick. "Where's Methos?"
"Here," said the Old One, coming in. He sat next to Joe, so he could look on the computer screen. "What do we have, Dawson?"
Title: Daughter of Adam, Part 25
Author: carolhelga
Claim: Duncan
Prompt: Lair
Rating/Warnings: PG (mild language)
Word count: 1359
Disclaimer: I do not own the Highlander universe, although I do own Brunhilde. This writing is all in good fun; I make no profit from it.
Summary: In which we find the rogue Watchers' stronghold, and how our Immortals prepare.
Duncan awoke to the smell of coffee and bacon, and the sound of muted voices from nearby. He blinked, momentarily disoriented, then sat up quickly. He had slept in his clothes, he noticed. He made his way out into the kitchen area, eager to know what had happened after he finally had fallen asleep.
Brunhilde stood over the stove, forking bacon onto a platter. Methos had the refrigerator door open and was inspecting the contents. Amanda sat at the table in intense conversation with Nick Wolfe. Even Joe Dawson was there, tapping something into a laptop computer on the table in front of him. Duncan cleared his throat, and all five looked his way.
"Good, you're up." Hilda smiled at him over her shoulder, negating any need whatsoever for a stimulant. "Coffee?"
"No thanks." He snagged a chair and pulled it around so he could sit near Joe. "I'll have some food, though. You could have woken me up sooner."
"Nothing much to report. Nick only just got back about ten minutes ago." Amanda took a sip of orange juice from the glass in front of her.
Methos pulled out a loaf of bread from the fridge, and as he took out some slices for toast he said, "We'd have gotten you up once the food was ready, Highlander." As he passed behind Brunhilde he dropped a kiss on her neck, just as if they were an old married couple. "Brunhilde was the only one up more than an hour ago."
"Except Nick," added Joe. "He's got something for us, too. I'm just now adding it to the information we have on these people."
"I'm all ears."
"They have a house just outside the city limits north of town," Wolfe said. "Big one, like a mansion almost. Twenty acres, if I'm any judge, and fenced all around. Damn thing looks like one of those old plantation houses out of Gone with the Wind. Pillars and all." Brunhilde set a plate of bacon down on the table and he automatically smiled thanks and grabbed about five strips. "Guards all around, too. Six patrols, evenly set apart, with a bit of overlap on their rounds. One guard at the gate who stays stationary."
"Vegetation?" asked Methos.
"Oak, walnut, some poplars around the house and the fence, and hedges around some sort of garden. Looked like one of those English garden mazes, maybe. Lots of grass. The driveway is macadam and edged with more of those hedges. It makes a big circle up to the house and back to the gate, only one vehicle wide."
"Sounds like quite a lair," commented Joe.
A bowl of scrambled eggs joined the bacon plate and Hilda sat down to join in the conversation. "Any weapons?"
"Yeah. Each guard I could see had a rifle--standard deer hunter style--and a couple had sidearms, but I didn't see if they all did." Wolfe blinked tiredly. "They've got four dogs, too. Rotweillers."
Methos sat down also, next to Bruhilde, setting a plate of toast near Wolfe. "Eat, man. You've done the most work so far." He watched with keen eyes as Wolfe put eggs, toast, and more bacon on a plate and started in. "Any idea of the number of people there?"
"I have a headcount of the ones I saw. Might be more inside. Hell, you could hide an army in that place."
"How many?" Duncan prodded, even as he, too, filled a plate with food. "Don't try to guess the ones you didn't see. How many did you actually see?"
"Aside from the seven guards and our Mr. Lee, I saw four others. Two were at the door when he went inside, and I saw one in an upstairs window and another in a downstairs window."
"What kind of reception did he get?" Joe wanted to know.
"They patted him down." Nick snorted with some amusement. "Damned if it didn't seem like they were playing at being gangsters. I've seen gang-bangers act more suave. But they were deadly serious with the guards. As I watched, a car drove by and the whole time it was in sight of the house it had three guns trained on it."
"Someone doesn't like company," Duncan said. "Maybe we should call on him."
"Give me till noon, guys," Joe said. "I'll have more then--floor plans and even his security system if I can." He looked around at the Immortals, who all looked determined. "I promise. After noon, he's all yours."
"Fair enough." Duncan nodded. "You called it a lair, Joe. We just might be able to make it a cage."
#
Joe sat back with a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. "Done." Brunhilde, sitting next to him, had watched with fascination as he had sorted through multitudes of data he had found on the web. Now she stood and massaged his neck, relieving the tension of the last two hours. Joe winced at the initial pressure, but slowly relaxed under her ministrations. "Ahhh. Thanks, Hilda."
Duncan, from his seat near the back door, asked, "So what do we have? Is there a chance to stop them?"
"Yeah, there is. It'll be a bit of a challenge, but we can." Joe let his head loll forward as Brunhilde continued her massage. "Remember, though, I don't want the legitimate Watchers harmed."
"If they stay out of the way, they won't be."
Joe cracked open one eye to regard Duncan suspiciously. "Mac…"
"No, Joe. No promises. Every time I promise you something to do with the Watchers, I end up getting killed, and almost lose my head, too." Duncan stood and paced a bit. "You let us deal with the ones at this house we found, and you keep the Watchers away."
"Can you do that, Joe?" Brunhilde asked, as she finished the massage and dropped her hands. "Keep the real Watchers away from this 'lair' as we're calling it?"
"At one time, I could have said yes and that would be it. Now that I'm not in charge any more, I can't make that guarantee." He frowned slightly. "I do have some influence, but not as much as I used to."
"Time to make our plans, then," said Duncan. "We need to act soon."
"I'll get Methos to close for lunch." Brunhilde hustled out into the shop area.
"That leaves me to get Amanda and Wolfe." Duncan looked at Joe. "You'd better see what you can do about keeping your people away as soon as we've got our plans finalized."
Joe just nodded, and Duncan went into the room where Nick Wolfe and Amanda were sleeping, spooned together. Nick stirred first, probably still not used to the buzz of an approaching Immortal. "Wha'?" he said, waking quickly enough. "Oh, it's you." He blinked at Duncan.
"Time to plan. Get her up and both of you into the dining room."
Duncan had to give Wolfe points for his quick grasp of the urgency of the matter. "Two minutes," he promised, shaking Amanda's shoulder.
Duncan nodded and went back to where Joe waited. Brunhilde was back as well, and had provided some beers from Methos' refrigerator. Joe had already started on one. "Where's the old man?"
Brunhilde giggled at Duncan's description of Methos, hiding her smile with one hand. "He's trying to hurry a client out so he can close the shop for 'lunch.'" She handed him one of the beers, then opened one for herself. "It shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
Duncan popped the can open and took a swallow. "Good." He directed a serious glance at her, and leaned closer to whisper. "Is everything all right between you and Methos?"
Brunhilde sobered. Whispering back, she said, "Mostly." She glanced at Joe, who was at least pretending to be busy on his computer. "We still have a few details to iron out."
Amanda entered with Nick. "We're ready," she announced. Seeing the beers, she took two, giving one to Nick. "Where's Methos?"
"Here," said the Old One, coming in. He sat next to Joe, so he could look on the computer screen. "What do we have, Dawson?"